Item Switch
by Spectra Demon
Summary: [Disclaimer: I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any of its nuances.] This is a fic about a prophecy regarding the ownership changes of certain Millennium Items. Violence and mature themes in some chapters. [Incomplete]
1. Background Information

[This fanfic takes place a year after the end of the "Battle City" era of the _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ anime series.]

[Marik has been defeated and Yugi Moto has control of all three "God cards." Yami is beginning to learn more and more about his past as he experiences life within his vessel, Yugi, who has now been challenged with having to learn how to harness the power of two Millennium Items. He has the Millennium Tauk that was once owned by Isis as well as the Millennium Puzzle he's had in his possession during the entire series.]

[Mokuba Kaiba mysteriously got ill soon after the "Duelists' Tower" incident and his brother, CEO of KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba has been spending countless hours taking care of Mokuba. Seto has begun doing massive amounts of research, with money being no object, to discover what is wrong with his brother and to find a cure. He has even gone so far as to begin analyzing the Millennium Items. Seto has even called upon his greatest rival, Yugi, to see if any of his powers could help Mokuba. Yugi agrees with Seto that the Millennium Items have something to do with what is making Mokuba ill, but he can't exactly pinpoint the source himself.]

[KaibaCorp has obtained the rights to excavate the site where Duelists' Tower collapsed. Underwater diving teams have been working around the clock to find the Millennium Rod and have been given orders to not transport it anywhere if they find it. Seto Kaiba demanded that heavily armed guards remain within a quarter-mile radius of where the rod lies if it is found. He said that he would escort Yugi to the site for Yugi to harness the power. He felt that the Millennium Rod would not be safe in anyone else's hands.]

[Bakura has managed to become sick with something similar to what Mokuba has, but the evil spirit within Bakura's Millennium Ring is somehow keeping Bakura from being bed-ridden. Everyone is finding it strange that the evil spirit in the Millennium Ring is having a beneficial effect on Bakura, but they aren't complaining, even though those closest to him are still being very cautious, nevertheless.]

[The _Duel Monsters_ craze has gotten so huge that the City of Domino has grown fivefold in size from three years ago. Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler have become brand names all over the world. Yugi, Seto, and Joey have become such celebrities that random strangers on the street even ask for their autographs, or simply, ask them for dueling advice.]

[Along with the spotlight on the game and its players though is the added insight on conspiracy theories. People have gone so crazy about the game that they even are beginning to try to find the long, lost Maximillion Pegasus, who allegedly went into self-exile after having been defeated by Yugi at Duelist Kingdom. It is rumored that Pegasus has focused his energies on technology and has tried to develop something to aid his vision again, even if it doesn't have the same effect as the Millennium Eye that Bakura stole from him. It is also thought that Pegasus may soon come out of hiding, if a certain condition is met, but it appears nobody knows for sure what the condition really is.]

[Our story begins with Seto Kaiba working in the early hours of the morning, continuing his endless search for finding a cure for his brother.] 


	2. Kaiba's Research

_"Mokuba... What happened to you? Why haven't I found a cure yet? Why have I, someone with all the resources in the world at my disposal, unable to even save my little brother?"_

At his personal bridge in the top-floor control room of KaibaCorp headquarters, Seto Kaiba was typing furiously on one of his keyboards. He had a single task at hand: to find a cure for Mokuba. Kaiba was almost too exhausted to sleep. His eyes were sagging heavily as he looked up at the large digital clock on the wall directly in front of him.

_"It's four in the morning. I feel like complete Hell right now. I've been awake since five AM yesterday and I have been here since eight in the day. My conscience will not allow me to go to sleep now though. I have to find a cure for my brother, even if it means my atrophy and demise. If my little brother dies... The rest of the world can go to Hell."_

Kaiba searched the Web as well as secret networks, databases, and files all over the world from his terminal. He refused to eat or sleep unless forced by one of his executives or Yugi and his friends. Kaiba scoured all creation for an answer to the problem that had plagued him for nearly six months. He travelled all over the world in search of something to save his brother. He had been everywhere from the northern regions of Siberia to the Australian Outback. He went to Japan, Egypt, Mexico, and fifty other countries around the world in pursuit for the answer. Seto Kaiba had spent over two million dollars for this mission already and he vowed to never stop the search until he was dead and penniless.

One thing that Kaiba managed to find in Egypt was a papyrus scroll depicting a prophecy that some of those who had possession of Millennium Items would exchange their items to other equally rightful owners. Eventually, when the world has complete peace, with no more threats of thieves, all the items would be returned to the pharaoh, who is presently Yami Yugi. 

What was really intriguing to Kaiba was the specific section in the prophecy regarding the protectors of the pharaoh. The scroll said an "innocent" would rise to be the next "judiciary of the millennium," but this would only happen after a "trial" from "the absence of power." That statement alone wasn't what stuck out to Kaiba, but the statement afterward nearly made him jump. It said something along the lines of, "This 'judiciary' will be bound by blood to the disguised friend, sworn protector of the pharaoh, and master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Seto could not help but to be completely awestruck by this prophecy. Isis' predictions over a year ago completely paled in comparison to the impact this scroll had. It meant so much to Kaiba that he brought it back to KaibaCorp headquarters with him. The scroll is locked up in a vault with ten armed guards protecting the entrance along with a special surveillance system that cost nearly a million dollars.

_Money is no object to Kaiba when it comes to his little brother..._

A buzzing sound echoed through the control room and woke up Seto as he was about to doze off at the computer. He pressed a key at one of the consoles and spoke through the microphone, "Who is it? And why are you here at four in the morning?"

"It's me, Tristan," the voice on the other side of the intercom said.  
Kaiba buzzed Tristan in and then got up from his terminal. As the thick steel doors opened up, Tristan walked in with his backpack from school on his back. He proceeded to walk up the stairs toward where Kaiba was standing.

"What the Hell are you doing here at this time of morning?", Kaiba asked crankily, due to his voice being made somewhat raspy with his lack of sleep.

"I was up early this morning to go fishing, only to find the motor on my boat wasn't working, so I decided to get breakfast. I figured you'd probably be up yourself, and knowing you, you probably haven't eaten since Téa and I force fed you lunch yesterday. I know you aren't going to sleep, so I decided to do the next best thing and get you something to eat."

"I don't need anything to eat, Tristan. I need to help Mokuba... I need to find his cure..."  
  
"You won't be able to help Mokuba if you're so ill that you can't even move your fingers or open your eyes. Now, either eat one of these donuts I brought here willingly or I'm going to cram one down your throat."

Tristan pulled out a large box of two dozen glazed donuts and a gallon of hot coffee from his backpack and he placed them on the top of the terminal. He then took out a jar of creamer, a bag of sugar, a box of disposable spoons, a small package of napkins, and three white mugs. He opened up the box of donuts and used a napkin to take out one of them. Tristan placed the donut in front of Kaiba at the terminal and then poured him some coffee from the gallon thermos into one of the mugs. Seto nodded to Tristan and picked up the donut. Kaiba began nibbling on the donut, knowing that Tristan was not joking about stuffing the donut into his mouth for Tristan and Téa did exactly that to him with cheese fries and a soft drink the day before. Tristan then took out a donut for himself with another napkin and poured himself some coffee from the thermos.

"Cream? Sugar?", Tristan asked.

"No thanks, Tristan. You, Yugi, and everyone else have already done too much for me. I have lots of money, but I don't think any amount of money could possibly repay you all for what you have done, especially after my being nothing but a bastard to you all."

"You and I think very differently. We have different values, different ideologies, different philosophies. I've realized that the way you think doesn't necessarily make you bad, it just means you have different priorities than I do. There are some things I could care less about, but you may care about them a great deal, and vice-versa. I am glad to be able to help you, not only because I feel for your brother, but also, because I'm sure whatever is wrong with your brother is what's wrong with Bakura."  
  
"I'm betting what is wrong has something to do with the Millennium Items. I am thinking more and more that Mokuba and I are part of the prophecy I found in Egypt a couple months ago."

"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but why are you concerned that Mokuba is going to die if you believe the prophecy is coming to pass?"  
  
"I'm a realist... I don't believe in hocus-pocus. The prophecy may be a symbol for something else. I don't want to take things too idealistically or believe in something that may never happen. For all I know, it could mean something completely different than what I think." 

"You must believe, Kaiba. You must believe that everything will turn out well in the end."  
  
"I don't want to get my hopes up. I don't want to suffer a downfall."

"When you go into a duel, do you go in thinking you're going to lose?"  
  
"What the Hell does dueling have to do with my little brother's illness?"

"If you think something bad is going to happen before **anything** happens, something bad is bound to happen."

Kaiba turned his head and looked at his terminal, watching the status of the screens. Everything was running like normal, even though things really weren't normal by any stretch of the imagination. Things were bad, or at least bad for Kaiba. Seto found himself breaking down and crying at random points when he was by himself. Once in a while, he even was on the verge of weeping in front of people, but his self-control allowed him to at least get away before he shed his tears. This time, Kaiba was about to be not-so-lucky.

Tristan watched as Seto started trembling and trying to shy his face away from him. He saw Kaiba put his hand to his eyes and asked him, "Kaiba? What's wrong?"

Kaiba could do nothing but tear up. Saline droplets ran from his eyes and moistened his hand. Kaiba made every effort to not make any noise to keep Tristan from figuring out that he was weeping right in front of him. In the calmest voice he could muster, Kaiba simply whispered, "He's so sick... He needs help..."

"Kaiba, are you crying? Are you ok?"  
  
"No, Tristan... I'm not ok. I need Mokuba to get better. I'm in agony over his suffering. I cannot eat nor sleep until I have found his cure."

"Yugi, Joey, Téa, and I will do everything within our power to help you. You just need to trust us." 


	3. Realization of Magnitude

"Grandpa," said Yugi as he poured himself some milk into his glass at the kitchen counter in the apartment above the game shop, "What do you think now about what's going on?"

Solomon, who was sitting at the dinner table, watching the sunrise through the nearby window as he does some mornings, stared at the sun for a few more seconds after his grandson asked his question. After that pause, Solomon methodically turned his body in his chair and faced Yugi.

"This is the strangest thing I've seen in a very long time, Yugi," Solomon replied, "I have never heard of anything like this before in my life. I knew the Millennium Items had great power, but I'm kind of surprised by this particular reaction. It's almost like the spirit of Millennium Ring is being held back by something. The spirit is working hard to keep Bakura as strong as possible and is even trying to help keep Bakura's soul alive. This makes less sense than anything I've seen before."

While Solomon spoke, Yugi took his glass of milk and plate of bacon and eggs and sat at the dinner table across from his grandfather. As he salted and peppered his breakfast, Yugi asked, "How can we explain what's wrong with Mokuba though? He doesn't have a Millennium Item."

"Remember the prophecy that Kaiba keeps locked up as if it were a massive fortune?"

"Yes... What about it?", Yugi muttered with his mouth full of fried egg.

Grandpa gave him a slightly disapproving look and then continued, "I'm willing to bet that Mokuba could be destined to have contact with a Millennium Item of some sort. I'm not sure if he's fated to be the owner of such a thing, but I am almost sure that the Millennium Items have something to do with his illness."

Yugi drank a bit of milk and cleared his mouth of anything that could impede speech. In a less nonchalant manner, he replied to his grandfather.

"Kaiba and I have done a lot of research regarding all the Millennium Items. Yami's interpretation of the prophecy was that certain items would switch hands. We came to a general consensus that the prophecy could, I repeat, **could** mean that Kaiba and Mokuba were destined to hold Millennium Items for a time for the specific purpose of protecting the pharaoh. It said later on in the prophecy that people with Millennium items would have to stick together and put aside their differences, no matter how great, to protect what they have."

"What are you saying, Yugi?"  
  
"What I'm saying is for everyone to be able to keep the Millennium Items we have, we have to help each other and not get greedy. There is a great imbalance due to Pegasus' exile and Marik's death, both causing rightful owners to be separated from their Millennium Items. I believe the intangible imbalance is what's causing Bakura and Mokuba to be ill. The evil divinity within the Millennium Ring is helping Bakura to keep his strength, but I'm afraid Mokuba has nothing to help him cancel out the sickness. It's almost like there is a spirit flow that wraps around those involved with the items that resembles human influence. The spirit flow is not totally good or evil; it actually is neutral when things are relatively normal. Things are far from it though."

"In other words, until all the Millennium Items are safe, the 'spirit flow' will be unable to balance and we will continue to have to worry about Bakura and Mokuba?"  
  
"Not only that, but also those who threaten the rightful owners will have a big advantage and try to harm us. As long as the spirit flow is in disarray, we are **all** in danger."

Solomon sighed and hung his head at this information. He knew that Yugi would have a constant uphill battle as owner of the Millennium Puzzle and vessel for the spirit of the pharaoh, but he never accounted for the fact that danger would seem to always be in sight. Yugi's having the Millenium Puzzle was his destiny and there was no turning back nor will there ever be. This was a reality that Solomon had no choice but to accept for the good of mankind. Solomon was proud his grandson was saving the world, but he was also the worried grandfather of a sixteen-year-old boy and he never wanted any harm to come to him.

Another thing that worried Grandpa was the fact that _Duel Monsters_ was no longer a simple card game. People no longer played the game to simply have fun or win tournaments. Every duel seemed to have something extremely major on the line anymore. Someone's life seemed to be the wager in almost every game. He was tempted many times in recent months to take Yugi's cards and tell him to never duel again, but he just could not, for he knew this was Yugi's fate and only complete pandemonium would result from such an action.

_"Yugi, if something happened to you, I could never forgive myself..."_

Yugi finished off his bacon and eggs and swallowed his last drop of milk in virtual silence. He noticed his grandfather's change of demeanor, but decided to say nothing for the time being. He figured Grandpa was just pondering one of the many scenarios explained to him a few minutes ago. He respected his grandpa as a deep thinker and tried to give him the space he deserved. 

Yugi has begun to feel guilt lately about how much his grandpa has been through on account of him. He has felt bad that his grandpa has had to suffer in some way due to his destiny with the Millennium Puzzle. The fact that his grandfather's soul was a bet in a duel sickens him to the core. Yugi feels he lost his innocence the day Pegasus did that to his grandpa. Yugi feels his childhood slipping from him all too quickly and it breaks his heart.

Solomon broke the silence and asked, "Did you get a chance to check up on Bakura this morning, Yugi?"

Yugi shook himself out of his semi-daze and answered, "Yes, Grandpa. He was snoring away. I doubt he'll be out of bed for a few hours."

"...I have a question for you, Yugi. And answer honestly."  
  
"Yes, Grandpa?"  
  
"Do you think Bakura is safe here?"  
  
"Other than maybe in a vault at KaibaCorp, this is probably the safest place for him."  
  
"Do you think we are safe here with Bakura?"  
  
"I think we are. We're the hands that are feeding him. If he bites down, he'll be in worse trouble than he could ever imagine, Millennium Ring or not." 


	4. Skaroff

"Sir! The Bravo squadron is ready and awaiting your orders, Sir!", the lieutenant bellowed to the boss, Commander Skaroff.

Skaroff replied coldly, "I want them to be on standby and prepared to move out."

"Yes, Sir!"

Commander Skaroff was nothing short of Satan on Earth. He stood tall at seven feet, three inches and was 440 pounds of pure muscle. He had a buzz cut of brown hair and no distinctive facial features other than his eyes that were normally rust-colored, but somehow glowed to a shade of crimson when angry. He was in the United States Army for five years, after graduating "summa cum laude" from Yale University with a BS in psychology. He could not stand the rigid system of the military though, so he left as soon as he could.

Ever since he was very young, people knew of Skaroff's sadistic ways. People knew of him as a cold-hearted torturer who was not only a physical force to be reckoned with, but also a genius who could not be outsmarted. He took up _Duel Monsters_ from a very early age from his cousin, Panik [who would later be an eliminator at Duelist Kingdom], and learned some strategy skills from the game. At the age of thirteen, he won the City Championship in Domino and ended up winning the Regional Championship later on that year. His heart was not into winning prizes and titles though. Skaroff was known for being a bully, not only with his fists, but with his cards, too. He found it hilarious not just to give people bloody noses and broken bones, but also humiliate them by convincingly defeating them in something that required skill and intelligence. Skaroff made the rules of defeating bullies go completely out the window and people basically allowed him to do whatever he wished, because they figured he'd do whatever he wanted anyway.

When he went into the army, the perverse streak only got worse. During a military action in Iraq, he was suspected of torturing over two hundred enemy soldiers during interrogations and then executing them in the most brutal of ways such as crucifixion or immersion in concentrated lye. Skaroff would even torture some by playing them in _Duel Monsters_ with him and having their lives as the bet. He'd call them "Shadow Games," even though they obviously weren't true ones with Millennium Items involved.

Ever since he was in the army, Skaroff had a great envy for those who had the Millennium Items. He grew more and more determined every day to duel those with the items and defeat them. He felt he would be a much more worthy duelist for the Millennium Items than people he regarded as little punks such as the late Marik, Bakura, and most of all and most recently, Yugi Moto.

An older man with dark gray hair and sunglasses slowly walked toward Skaroff from behind. He had on the same camouflage uniform as the commander and appeared to be second-in-command. This man whispered harshly, "When do you plan on initiating our first attack?"

Skaroff brought his arms out and stretched for a few seconds before turning around to face his assistant. After the slight pause, Skaroff made his reply.

"It'll happen around noon today. Our inside contact said they were close to finding what we're after. He says that he'll call us before he calls Kaiba. We'll converge on them from three sides when they get to the center point and have what we want on the surface. We'll double-flank them on every side. When we get within a hundred yards of the point of attack, after we've penetrated the security perimeter, we'll start opening fire on Kaiba and his party. They'll either surrender or be eliminated. And then... I'll finally get a start on my collection."

"Do you believe this is your destiny, Sir?"

"Are you having second thoughts about this or something?"  
  
"No, Sir. I'm simply curious to what goes on in a mind of your depth and ability that could provoke a plan of such magnitude."  
  
"I want those Millennium Items so badly that I can taste them, smell them, feel them right in my hand. I lust for them like one would lust for a beautiful woman or a king's ransom. I want the Egyptian God Cards and I want the power to rule the world. I could care less about fame and fortune. I don't care if a single human being on this Earth likes me or not. I don't care about living in a mansion nor having a hundred stunning female virgins at my disposal. I want to have the ability to walk up to the President of the United States and tell him to **kiss my ass**. I want to live that dream that imbecile, Marik, couldn't survive to fulfill. I want to live that dream and more..."

The older man digested all the commander said with a show of complete stillness. He then took a deep breath and asked the question which truly was the weight on his mind, "What do you want us to do if we find Yugi Moto?"  
  
Skaroff's muscular body tensed as his eyes glistened to a much redder tone, reflecting the warm morning sun. With a stiffened jaw and a colder tone, he replied, "I want his head removed from his body... I want his decapitated head on a stick and paraded for all to see. I want the Millennium Puzzle and the God Cards brought to me in tact immediately upon Yugi's execution. If you find him, and anyone gets in the way, kill them all in the most horrifying, sanguine fashion possible. If you get a chance at taking out Yugi, I don't care who you have to kill or what you have to destroy. I don't care if you have to bludgeon pregnant women to death and burn down churches. I want him **dead** and I want his Millennium Puzzle and God Cards brought to me!" 


	5. Checking up on Bakura

Yugi wasn't exactly sure why he woke up so early on a Saturday morning. He woke up before dawn, which was extremely unusual for him, even on a school day. He felt peculiarly chilly when he awakened and sensed a tension in the air. He was tempted to tap into his Millennium Puzzle, but he didn't need Yami to tell Yugi what he already knew.

_Something was different about today. Something was going to happen. Something was definitely _**_wrong_**_._

Yugi made a right turn when he exited the kitchen and journeyed down the hall to the last door on the left. He paused and sighed slightly before he knocked gently on the door.

"Come in," Bakura said from the other side of the door, "I'm already awake."

Yugi turned the doorknob and pushed the creaking door forward slightly. He cautiously peeped around the edge of the door to make sure Bakura was not in a threatening position, because he never was sure when Yami Bakura would attack. At times, Yugi had to tap into the power of his Millennium Puzzle to keep Yami Bakura from going postal.

Bakura was unstable since Duelist's Tower was destroyed. When Marik was killed and the Millennium Rod suddenly became without an owner, the spirit equilibrium, which was already unbalanced due to the theft of Pegasus' Millennium Eye, got completely shaken up. Bakura started having convulsions and nearly died on the way back to Domino. He was in the Domino Hospital for two months and in the ICU for two weeks of that time. He was still ill upon discharge, but the doctors said they could do nothing more to help him. The doctors told Bakura's parents and friends that his vital signs were never consistent for more than a few hours at a time, but he somehow managed to not die and he actually normalized under his own power.

A week after Bakura was discharged, a cruel twist of fate occurred when his parents were involved in a severe car accident with a tractor-trailer which killed his parents instantly on impact. Yugi happened to be at Bakura's house ["watching" Bakura] when a doctor from Domino Hospital came there and delivered the horrific news. After the doctor left, Bakura harnessed the evil spirit within the Millennium Ring in a violent rage of epic proportions and sent the soul of the trucker to the Shadow Realm, even though Bakura had no idea who he was. Bakura had no other family to rely on, so Yugi and Solomon invited Bakura to live with them and they took care of him since.

Ever since that fateful day, Bakura started willingly contacting the evil spirit within the Millennium Ring. The spirit seemed slightly confused at first about why someone who had been fighting it for so long was finally tapping into the powers at will. After a very short while though, the motives were obvious. 

Bakura was a lonely, broken man. He felt the need for a friend and a solution for his problems. Even though he knew Yugi and company were there for him, none of them could bring his parents back.

_"Spirit, don't hurt Yugi."  
  
"I'll do whatever the Hell I want. You're the weakass on the ropes, Bakura."  
  
"If you hurt Yugi, I won't help you with your task."  
  
"I don't need your help. You just make my job a little easier. And, it's not like you're in the position to give orders anyway."_

Yugi cautiously walked inside and sat in a chair next to Bakura, who was reading the entertainment section of yesterday's newspaper while sitting on the side of his bed. Yugi picked up the sports section and leafed through it for a few seconds before he started to speak.  
  
"What are you up to this morning, Bakura?"  
  
"I've not made myself very productive this morning. I've just been rereading yesterday's article about _Funny Bunny_. Weirdly enough, ever since Pegasus talked about it during his duel with Kaiba, I've been interested in the cartoon. I've even taped a few episodes."

"I've watched the cartoon once or twice, but I can't say I'm a big fan."  
  
Bakura folded up his section of the paper and he pulled a VHS tape off the shelf. He then got up from the bed and walked over to the VCR which was next to his thirteen-inch color TV and placed the tape into the VCR. Afterward, he turned on the equipment and pressed "play."

"This is one of my favorite episodes," Bakura said as he sat in the floor near the television set, "Ruff Ruff McDog tries to set up a trap to catch Funny Bunny by making him run into a tunnel that has the other end blocked off. Funny Bunny manages to dig a hole though and get McDog to fall into it though. Then, Funny Bunny runs out of the tunnel and blocks the one open end, confining him inside the cave."

Yugi chuckled and retorted, "To each his own, I guess."

"There is more to this than you think, Yugi," Bakura explained as he picked up the remote to turn up the volume, "There are some striking similarities between _Funny Bunny_ and _Duel Monsters_. For instance, the Doppleganger card Pegasus used against Kaiba was almost a dead ringer for Funny Bunny's brother, Crazy Bunny. One of Crazy Bunny's antics was going up to people and saying what they say or doing what they do to mock and annoy them, hence, the inspiration for the card. Also, the Bickuribox was a creature in one of McDog's dreams. It was a contraption that would pop out and allegedly lay waste to Funny Bunny. Obviously, it never came to fruition."

"Wow..," Yugi answered with his eyes open widely, "I knew Pegasus was a cartoon fanatic, but I didn't realize cartoons were **that** influential to his making the game."

All of a sudden, there was a hard, rapid knock on the door. In unison, Bakura and Yugi exclaimed, "Come in!"

Grandpa swung open the door and stormed in. Somewhat out of breath, he said, "Yugi, Kaiba's on the phone and he said it was extremely urgent." 


	6. Urgent!

Yugi ran out of Bakura's room and fled down the hall into the living room. He picked up the receiver as fast as he could and he threw himself onto the couch with the receiver in hand.

"Kaiba?", Yugi asked, "What's going on?"

Seto groaned and started in, "Yugi, I need you to get here as soon as possible. I need Yami's help."  
  
"Why do you need me to harness the spirit of my Millennium Puzzle?"

"I found some really big information regarding the Millennium Rod and I need Yami's help to explain it."  
  
"I guess I could come to KaibaCorp, but are you sure this isn't something Yami or I can't just tell you over the phone?"  
  
"Absolutely not. This is something Yami and you will have to **see**. All I can say is that Tristan is completely shocked to Hell and back in the chair next to me. This thing I've found out is as stunning as the prophecy I found and is as visually crazy as the art Isis showed me in that exhibit. This thing I'm looking at right now is utterly insane, Yugi!"

"Is Tristan ok?"  
  
"Other than being massively surprised, like I am, and a bit wet from spilling a cup of coffee all over his legs, he's fine. We're both just completely in awe of this sight we're seeing right now. It's classified information that belongs to a secret organization I'm in, so I can't really discuss what I'm looking at over the phone for security reasons, even if I could verbally explain it."

"That's ok. I'll be there right away."  
  
Yugi hung up and placed the receiver back on the base. He jumped up from the sofa and walked swiftly to his room down the hall to snatch his coat. As Yugi shut his door to leave, Grandpa was there to meet him and asked, "What was that all about, Yugi?"  
  
"I'm not sure. It sounded like Kaiba got a hold of some secret information regarding the Millennium Rod and he was about to go insane. He said he was in need of Yami's help and it was something I'd have to see to understand."

"Would you like a ride there?"  
  
"I'll be all right. Bakura's up anyway."  
  
"Oh, I see... I should probably stay here then. I might as well fix breakfast for him."

"Good idea. I really need to get going though. Kaiba sounded like he was about to stand on his head, climb the walls, or something."

"You should get going, then."  
  
Yugi scurried down the hall and said, without turning back, "I'll see you in a while, Grandpa!"

He sprinted through the house and on the streets of Domino to KaibaCorp. Yugi knew that Kaiba didn't usually ask for help at all and the fact Kaiba was so shaken about this was proof of how big this information must have been. The last time Kaiba was so uneasy was when Kaiba called Yugi from Egypt to tell him about the scroll which was later placed inside a vault at KaibaCorp. Yugi sensed this information might be life-changing and knew it was imperative that he arrived as fast as he could.

When Yugi got to KaibaCorp, he rushed up the steps in front and darted through the center doors. He tore into the nearest open elevator and he swiped his identification card through the console, which allowed him to have access to the top floor. His ID card also allowed him to have access to the "express" button, which permitted him to go wherever he wanted on the elevator without having to stop for anyone, and he made **sure** to press the button this time.

"Puzzle," Yugi said to himself while trying to catch his breath, "I'm not sure what we're about to see up there, but I'm sure it's going to be something that will be a big event. I hope we're ready..."  
  
The elevator was flooded with light at that moment.  
  
**_"Yu-Gi-Oh!!!"_**

The elevator doors opened and Yami walked into front hall of the top story. The steel floor had a reddish tint to it to signify this place as the "executive" level of the building. The lobby was well furnished with only the most advanced technology and furniture which flaunted his extreme wealth. At the front desk was a receptionist who usually stopped anyone without business attire and a badge on, but she knew who Yami was, so she let him right in. 

Yami travelled cooly through the lobby to security entrance A3 and swiped his card through the console next to the door. After the console's top light turned from red to green and the door automatically opened, Yami walked down the short corridor in front of him and stopped at the locked door at the end.

Yami pressed the side button on the intercom outside the door and spoke into the built-in microphone, "Kaiba, it's Yugi."  
  
The control room door next to Yami slowly slid open and he marched in.

"Yugi," Kaiba clamored from his terminal, "Look at the big screen!"

Yami turned around and looked at the sight on the eighty by twenty foot screen behind him. He saw the pictures, he read the words, but he could not bring a sound from his lips. The only thing he could do was drop his jaw in complete shock. 


	7. Dealing with the Devil

[To answer questions regarding the "plot" of which I'm basing my fanfic:

I'm basing this on a bit of a hybrid of the dub and the manga. I'm taking components from both things to make my story easy to tell and to follow. There will be things later on in my story which will probably conflict with the dub or the manga, but I am molding my story in a way that will prevent conflicts between things I have written myself. My first priority is to tell the best story I can and everything else comes after that.

And, to everyone who has given me constructive criticism, of all kinds, I thank you. I will continue this story on a pace of a chapter per day until school starts again for me on Monday, March 17, 2003. I will then be forced to slow my pace to two or three chapters per week. I am determined thought to make sure this project is completed.]

After Yugi left, Bakura started to become tense. He started pacing around his room while his _Funny Bunny_ tape was still playing. His being in the predicament he was in with the spirit of the Millennium Ring made Bakura just as sick as whatever illness he was suffering. Bakura felt regret, sadness, anger, and excruciating pain every day since his parents underwent that tragic fate almost a year ago. He felt he welcomed Satan himself into his life that day. He allowed his agony to overwhelm his reasoning and he paid an extreme price which was almost worse than death for it.

Bakura felt himself getting lightheaded and dizzy as he was pacing. He sat down on the bed and soon collapsed into a deep sleep while his feet were still over the side.

_"Hey, twerp," the spirit inside the Millennium Ring snarled, "Having a good morning?"_

Bakura snapped back, "What the Hell do you want?"  
  
"That's not any way to talk to someone who has the lives of your parents in the palm of his hand."  
  
"You're a sick bastard. How do I know you've not been lying to me all along? You haven't given me any proof that you can actually perform such a miracle."

"You'll just have to trust me."  
  
"**_Trust_**_ you? You have tried to murder all my friends on multiple occasions and you want me to _**_trust_**_ you?"  
  
"You act as if you have a choice in the matter, you little punk. I guess you don't really want your parents back that badly after all."_

"You're nothing but complete scum! You'd play with anyone's mind and anyone's bad luck just to advance your own sick and twisted plans!"  
  
"I couldn't care less if your parents, your stupid friends, or even you are dead. The Millennium Ring can always be given to another worthy, probably even more worthy, owner. The only reason why I'm even offering to bring your parents back to life is because I want something which I could really get on my own, but you can help me to get it faster."

"And I only promised to do it under the condition that you wouldn't use it to hurt anyone I care about."

"I merely opened up for cooperation to make my job easier. I have the power to make you do whatever I want. I proved that at Duelist's Tower."  
  
"I chose to use Holy Ring Ulitma to save your spirit after Marik had it sent to the graveyard. You're the one who should be indebted to me!"

"If I didn't start shredding your soul to save my own, I don't think you would have been quite so heroic. You may have one of those pathetic 'good' hearts, but I know you would have not been sorry to see me go. Not until I made death stare you in the face did you even try to keep me alive."

"You're damn right, spirit. I wished your death from the inner depths of my mind, heart, and soul. I wished for the peace I had been praying for. I wished that you would just leave me the Hell alone!"

"Quit your whining, you little twit! Your ass is mine and it will always be! You will do my bidding every day until I find you are no longer useful!"  
  
"What if I don't want to help you try to harness the power of the Millennium Eye any longer? What if I don't want to work with a thief who robs the truly chosen of what is rightfully theirs? Pegasus might have not done the right thing by robbing the Kaiba brothers, Yugi's grandfather, and others of their souls, but at least he was the destined owner of his Millennium Item! You had no right to steal it from him!"  
  
"You're defending that worthless mound of dung? You're defending that weakling who I not only trounced in a Shadow Game, but who couldn't even win against Yami?"  
  
"You act as if Yami isn't a better duelist than you. Yami is the greatest duelist in the world and he could mop the floor with you a million times."

"He only beat me because he tapped into the magical powers of his Millennium Puzzle."  
  
"As if you didn't use the powers of the Millennium Ring to place obstacles in his way at every turn..."

"Don't you have anything better to do, such as milking information out of Yugi about how to discipline the powers of other Millennium Items? Or working other magic from your 'good' soul on the Millennium Eye?"

"You act like I'm your puppet who you can just move around to do whatever you say. I'm not. I will do what is best for myself. I will do what I can to protect my friends. I want my family back as well, but I'd rather keep them lost than allow others to be in danger. My soul **_is_**_ good and I don't intend on tarnishing it by helping you hurt people with that Millennium Eye!"_

"You are such a dimwit, Bakura. You **_shall_**_ do exactly what I wish, whether you consent or not. I control your mind, body, and soul. What makes you think you even have any remote shred of power over me?"  
  
"My friends will overcome any obstacle you set! Yugi will destroy you if you try to hurt anyone!"_

"Yugi will have absolutely nothing on me after I extract and control the power of the Millennium Eye. He is the vessel for the pharaoh, a truly weak man with a lot of power that just fell right into his lap. Yami is nothing but a vigilante and a gambler who happens to have the throne."

"Yugi and Yami are truly great, courageous individuals. They are the good that will counteract and destroy your evil."

"We'll see about that, you little runt."

Bakura woke up feeling completely drained, in a wide-eyed daze, horrified about the conversation he had with the spirit in the Millennium Ring. He stood up from the bed, only to fall down face-first into a shelving unit a few feet away. Two shelves of books and a large pot, which held a cactus, fell down and made a booming noise that could be heard on the entire story of the building. Luckily, little of the debris actually fell on top of Bakura.

Solomon was frying some bacon for Bakura when he heard this noise. He instantly turned off the stove and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall, and knocked on Bakura's door.  
  
"Bakura?", Solomon asked, "Are you ok in there?"  
  
Bakura replied while holding his forehead, which received a nasty gash from the fall, "Ugh, I'm ok, Mr. Moto. But, I do think I need some aspirin." 


	8. Fate of the Rod

"This comes from one of the most classified servers the Circle of Magicians own, Yugi," Kaiba shouted from his perched position, "The Circle of Magicians is an underground organization that specializes in trying to predict the future based on artifacts found in archaeological finds. They give particular attention to things that have to do with _Duel Monsters_. What is showing on the screen in front of you was uncovered last month in a secret room in the tomb of someone unknown. The archeologists ran the hieroglyphics through their powerful supercomputer, which was specially built for the CoM just to decipher and decode messages, but were unable to decipher the message. They concluded the hieroglyphics were altered in such a way that only a very select few could read what was being written."

A wry smile came to Yami's face as he was intently looking at the screen and listening to Kaiba's explanation. He even chuckled slightly while looking at certain parts of the display.

"What's so damn funny?!", Kaiba clamored irately, making his face turn scarlet, "Don't you see the frickin' picture there in front of you?! It appears to have been done by the same artist who created the prophecy regarding our needed 'friendship' to defeat Marik! This picture clearly shows my holding the Millennium Rod while summoning Blue-Eyes and Obelisk while you are harnessing the powers of your Millennium Puzzle and Millennium Tauk while summoning the Dark Magician and Ra. We also appear to have another ally on our side who is summoning Osiris as well as something else that I can't see in the picture. It appears we're alongside each other fighting this ogre and this creature is a master of magic. He's not summoning a single monster, but he's using something to hold our monsters back."  
  
"I hear you loud and clear, Kaiba," Yami replied cooly as he allowed himself to become deeper in thought as he read the hieroglyphics on the big screen again and again, "I think it's pretty hilarious that a supercomputer could not break my little cipher."

Tristan, who had been simply listening attentively the whole time, made a spit take with the mouthful of coffee in his mouth when he heard Yami's latest piece of information. Kaiba, having become completely wide-eyed, stood up from his chair and said in a shocked tone, "**Your** cipher?! Are you trying to tell me that you are the one who came up with the language the supercomputer couldn't figure out?!"  
  
"That is exactly what I'm telling you, Kaiba. I created the cipher so my closest scribes could be more free to discuss the prophecies of the oracles and soothsayers. The world was in danger at the time of someone trying to harness the powers of Obelisk, Osiris, and Ra to conquer and destroy and I wanted the scribes to be able to say what they truly knew of the situation. Many of my scribes were also intelligence specialists. I could rely on them to tell me everything I needed to know about my enemies. There were some things that really needed to be written down though and I obviously could not take any chances at the information being figured out by the enemy, so I created this cipher to protect myself and my people."

"If you created the cipher... That means you can read every word on that screen... Doesn't it...?"  
  
"That's right, Kaiba. Would you like to know what the prophecy says?"  
  
Kaiba gulped and weakly asked in a tone barely audible to Yami, "Do I want to know?"  
  
Yami turned toward Kaiba and grinned as he replied, "Oh, I **know** you'll want to know this."  
  
"Go ahead, Yugi. Nothing surprises me anymore," Kaiba muttered dejectedly.  
  
In a professor-like tone, Yami began translating, "'In the thirty-first year of Yami, the King, a new protector, the Champion of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, will prove his valor and loyalty by putting aside his wishes for the throne and even putting aside his grudges against those who have caused him true harm. Both will realize some enemies will not always be enemies forever. A new force who will threaten the entire regime with his extreme might can only be defeated by the Divine Triumvirate.'"

"'Divine Triumvirate'? What the Hell?", Kaiba snapped.

"What it means is the 'Champion of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon' and the pharaoh will be joined by another person who they both regarded as an enemy at one time and all three will be in the battle of their lives against a horrendous force."  
  
"Who? Who will be the one we'll have to have helping us out? Will Marik come from the dead? Will Pegasus come from his exile? Will Dark Bakura fight alongside us? Will it be someone else? Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?"

"I will bet whoever this is will have a Millennium Item."

"Well, Marik is dead, Pegasus lost his Millennium Eye to Bakura in that shadow duel, and Bakura is too sick to fight. Sadi was never our enemy. If I'm not mistaken, all the Millennium Items are dispersed between you, Bakura, Sadi, and whoever gets that Millennium Rod."

"As intriguing or puzzling as that may be, what concerns me is why you have Obelisk again and why this other person has Osiris. Am I going to lose these cards? Am I going to lend them out or give them away? Also, why are the God Cards getting pushed back in the prophecy? It makes no sense."

"If it doesn't make sense to you, it surely isn't going to make sense to anyone else."

Tristan picked up his backpack and placed it on his back. Then, Kaiba and Tristan walked down the steel stairs from the upper terminal and met Yami near the door.

"I'm going to go to the locker room and change," Tristan said, "I could let the wind dry my pants while I'm on the road, but I had planned to go see Serenity, so I don't really want to have coffee stained clothing."

"See you later, Tristan," Yami replied with a slight laugh as Tristan walked out of the control room.

"Yugi, I am fairly certain the dive teams are going to secure the Millennium Rod today. Would you mind going up to my private office with me to help supervise the final operations?", Kaiba asked as he tried to regain some of the composure he lost a few minutes ago.

"I don't mind at all. Your teams may need my help if something goes awry."

"These days, I expect anything..." 


End file.
